AGENCY NEWSJanuary/February 2007Morgan & Myers, Inc., retains the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) account and will manage it from its Waterloo, IA, office. Work will focus on several different areas, including membership retention; government, research and business development; and market development, which includes ethanol.

Using a proprietary process developed by the agency, I Power helps organizations maximize their return on communications investment by creating concise, credible and audience-relevant messages. It is currently available to existing clients, as well as other interested parties, on a project basis.

Applications have included product, market, brand, business unit, and corporate positioning.

The new 160-page book, "Horse of a Different Wheelbase — The AdFarm Story" has been released. Written by Ian FitzGerald, former Partner and Creative Dir at AdFarm, FitzGerald says, "the book paints an intriguing and provocative picture of the company from its inception through a merger with a former rival which catapulted the firm into one ofNorth America's largest agricultural agencies."

The book covers many aspects of life inside a specialized ad agency. It examines the stick-to-itiveness required to make a niche marketing strategy really work.

"AdFarm thrives by attaching itself at the spiritual hip to its target audience — farmers," FitzGerald says. In this way, the book acts as a primer for anyone considering a niche strategy in marketing communications.

Available at www.bookstream.biz and at www.amazon.com.

Adculture Group Inc. announces a strategic decision to focus its North American growth efforts exclusively from its U.S. operation. CEO Pierre Doyon cited the size and energy of the U.S. agricultural market in making the decision.

Toward that end, Adculture Group ceases doing business in Canada as Adculture Group, Inc. Operations within Adculture Group USA will continue as before based out of the company's Minneapolis office.

Adculture Group USA Reg'l Dir Jim Gresham says Adculture's U.S. operations will gain additional corporate, IT and other services.

Bob Wells is promoted to Group Creative Dir for the Monsanto seed trait accounts and NORDYNE, Inc. Michael Berry is promoted to Ass't Acc't Exec for Monsanto Dairy and also manages trade show participation for the Propane Education & Research Council.

Andrea Smart joins The Hondo Group, Ft. Worth, TX, as an Acc't Exec. She started her career at Fleishman-Hillard, Kansas City, MO.

Liz Heck joins as an Acc't Exec she held internships in the newsroom of WBAP-AM and with the communication department of Bass Performance Hall.

Megan Knight joins as an Acc't Exec specializing in agriculture and life sciences clients. Previously she served as a public relations consultant for a Houston based Web company and served as a writer for the Texas Cooperative Extension.

Julia Goebel is named Sr Acc't Exec, PR and will work on Bayer CropScience corn and soybean team.

Amy McEvoy returns to the agency as Acc't Supvr, PR on the Underwriters Laboratories account. Prior to joining R&K, she was with agencies in Kansas City, MO, and Des Moines, IA.

Frank Giles joins the agency as Acc't Supvr, PR where he will manage the FiberMax cotton seed account. Prior to joining R&K, Giles, who is based in Southaven, MS, was Cotton Group Editor with Meister Media Worldwide. He has also worked for Freebairn & Co. and the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

MacKenzie Lucas is promoted to Sr Acc't Exec, PR and will continue to work on the Archer Daniels Midland account. Before joining the agency, Lucas was an Acc't Exec at Ketchum Inc.

IN MEMORIAMTom Dunphy, 41, Pres and one of the founders of Two Rivers Marketing, Des Moines, IA, and three of the agency's staff members were killed in a plane crash while traveling back from South Bend, IN. Also killed were Leslie O'Bannon, Acc't Exec; Eric Jocobs, IT Leader; and Josh Trainor, IT Specialist.

For more information, go to http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/ pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061115/ BUSINESS04/611150369/1029/archive.

Bert Hutchison, 76, Hartford, WI, died of a heart attack. He began his career with the Wisconsin Dept of Agriculture, was named farm broadcaster for WEAU Radio and TV, Eau Claire, WI, and became the last farm broadcaster on KDKA, Pittsburgh, PA. Moved to Washington D.C. as a radio writer at USDA and did live feeds for NBC's "National Farm and Home Hour." Later he joined Hess & Clark as Animal Health Prod Mgr before joining The Brady Agency from which he retired in 1994 as its Dir.